Legal Definitions - reprisal

In international law, a reprisal refers to an action taken by one country against another country that has caused it an injury or committed a wrong. These actions are coercive and intended to compel the offending country to correct the wrong or provide compensation, but they are carefully designed to be less severe than an act of war. Reprisals are a form of self-help in international relations, aiming to enforce rights or seek redress without escalating to full-scale armed conflict.

Examples:

• Following Country A's unilateral decision to divert a shared river, severely impacting Country B's agricultural output, Country B announces new, targeted tariffs on specific luxury goods imported from Country A. These tariffs are designed to create economic pressure on Country A to negotiate a fair water-sharing agreement, without resorting to military action.

  This illustrates a reprisal because Country B is taking a coercive economic measure (tariffs) against Country A in response to an injury (water diversion causing crop loss), with the aim of compelling Country A to change its behavior, but the action falls short of declaring war.

• After credible evidence emerges that Country X's government-backed cyber units have repeatedly launched sophisticated cyberattacks against Country Y's critical infrastructure, Country Y responds by expelling several diplomats from Country X and publicly announcing a suspension of all high-level bilateral meetings.

  This demonstrates a reprisal as Country Y is taking diplomatic and political actions (expelling diplomats, suspending meetings) against Country X in direct response to a harmful act (cyberattacks). These actions are intended to impose a cost and pressure Country X to cease its cyber aggression, without initiating armed conflict.

• When Country P repeatedly fails to prevent its state-owned fishing fleet from illegally operating in Country Q's exclusive economic zone, depleting fish stocks, Country Q implements a new policy requiring all vessels registered under Country P's flag to undergo extensive, time-consuming inspections upon entering Country Q's ports. This significantly delays Country P's commercial shipping and imposes financial penalties.

  This is an example of a reprisal because Country Q is using a targeted, non-military enforcement measure (stricter inspections causing delays and costs) against Country P. This action is a direct response to Country P's ongoing violation of Country Q's maritime rights, intended to compel Country P to control its fishing fleet and respect international law, without engaging in warfare.